Is the Vegan Lifestyle Safe?

First off, I am not a vegan. I might be a vegetarian, though. On occasions I eat red meat, but I feel that I could definitely live without the meat. So, this article isn't an attempt to persuade you to go vegan, but for those of you who wish to go that route, you probably have some concerns about it.

First, what's the difference between vegan and vegetarian? Contrary to the term, vegetarians DO eat red meat, but every once in a while. Or, they may not eat red meat period, but would eat fish, chicken, and dairy products. Those types of vegetarians are called semi-vegetarians, also known as flexitarians.

Then you have ovo-lacto vegetarians, those who won't eat any animal products except for eggs (ovo) and milk (lacto). You have ovo-only vegetarians and lacto-only vegetarians as well.

Then you have vegans. They don't eat any sort of animal products whatsoever. No milk, ice cream, cheese, fish, chicken, nothing that moos or clucks or quacks or swims. Even honey is out of the question because it's produced by bees.

Is one lifestyle better than the other? Well, it depends on whom you talk to, but instead of going by people's opinions, let's go by facts. And based on the facts, a vegan lifestyle would be the best choice for optimal health and longevity.

Many would disagree because we traditionally believe that a vegan cannot possibly get essential nutrients such as protein, iron, and calcium by just eating nuts and berries all day. Even nutritionists and dietitians would argue that you need some servings of meat (whether fish, beef, or fowl) and dairy to get your daily recommended intake of protein, iron, and calcium.

But meat is very high in cholesterol, as well as milk and eggs. One egg has about 210mg of cholesterol and our recommended daily intake (RDI) of cholesterol is 300mg. Many of us eat about two or three eggs most days for breakfast. So you're getting a lot of protein in the eggs, but you're getting a lot of cholesterol.

So while you're trying to get your RDI of protein, iron, and calcium from meats and dairy, you're also getting plenty of the bad stuff as well. And cholesterol isn't something your body could easily get rid off. Cholesterol, which is a yellowish waxy-like substance, is also produced by your liver. Too much of it gets trapped in your arteries because cholesterol helps to repair the inner walls of your arteries.

And if you aren't exercising on a regular basis, all that collection of cholesterol builds up quickly because your body isn't using it fast enough. So even if you're just eating meat in moderation, it'll catch up with you later in life, sometimes tragically.

So, if eating meat and dairy is out of the question, then how could you possibly get your proteins, iron, and calcium? Well, I'm glad that you asked that question.

Let's talk about protein. We traditionally get this from meat and dairy products. However, where did the cows get their sources of protein? Their diet is based on grass.

Protein could be found abundantly in nuts, beans, seeds, and dark, leafy-green veggies. Even oatmeal has a power punch of protein that makes it such an ideal snack for bodybuilders. Soy products also have a high amount of protein for the body. In fact, soybeans, regular beans, and nuts are very abundant in protein. Even though nuts have a lot of fat, it's mostly the healthy fat such as mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which are good for the heart.

Calcium is very easy to get from non-animal sources. Your RDI of calcium for both men and women is typically around 1,000mg. One 8oz glass of calcium-fortified orange juice contains about 300mg. About a handful of dried dates contain over that amount. Spinach, Kale, and broccoli also have a high amount of calcium, as well as dark, leafy-green veggies.

As for iron, men need only 9mg and women need 15mg a day. Iron loves to hang out with your red blood cells, so if you lose a lot of blood, you also lose a lot of iron. Women need more iron because of that special time of the month where they start losing blood. Guess what? One cup of bran cereal has enough iron for a man for the day. Soybeans also have mega amounts of iron, as well as pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, nuts, and oatmeal.

And of course if you're taking a daily multivitamin or meal-replacement shake, you'll get even more protein, calcium, and iron.

There are six main things that the body needs in order to survive: vitamins, minerals, protein, carbs, good fats, and water. We get water from our sinks and our foods. We see that you could get all of these perfectly from non-animal based products and live a longer and healthier lifestyle because you're not stacking up cholesterol from animal-based products.

Even though living a vegan lifestyle is not necessary to live a long and healthy life, we see that vegans could definitely get all the nutrients they need from their plant-based diet. We see that it's only a myth that you need to eat meat and dairy products in order to get protein, iron, and calcium. You could live a long, happy life eating only plants, fruits, and grains.

So, is the vegan lifestyle safe? It sure is. Is it something for you? Maybe and maybe not. Let's not look down on vegans thinking that they're hurting themselves. Actually, they're doing a great job in avoiding all the unhealthy stuff that we get in a meat-based diet.